Cathaymyrus Temporal range: Cambrian Stage 3, | |
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C. diadexus (top) and Vetulocystis (bottom) | |
Scientific classification ![]() | |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Genus: | † Cathaymyrus Shu, Conway Morris & Zhang 1996 [2] |
Type species | |
Cathaymyrus diadexus Shu, Conway Morris & Zhang 1996 | |
Species | |
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Cathaymyrus is a genus of Early Cambrian chordate known from the Chengjiang biota in Yunnan Province, China. [4] Both species have a long segmented body with no distinctive head. The segments resemble v-shaped muscle blocks found in cephalochordates such as Amphioxus . A long linear impression runs along the "back" of the body looking something like a chordate notochord.[ citation needed ]
While some authors have suggested that the genus is a cephalochordate and closely related to living lancelets, other authors have disputed this due to the poor preservation of the head region, considering its placement within Chordata uncertain. [5]